


These Vows

by ettedab



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF!Harry, M/M, Marriage, Possessive Behavior, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Customs, Pureblood Laws, Romance, They skipped the courting rituals because that's how they roll, Tom's a psycho as usual, and yeah they both confessed in this one, because life is too short my friends, because yeah they're idiots in love, bonding fics, no beta we die like men, no room for denial, powerful!Harry, they're a power couple in this one, they're both reckless in this one, yes even Tom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25524916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ettedab/pseuds/ettedab
Summary: This was how Tom Gaunt-Slytherin married Harry James Potter on their fifth year at Hogwarts.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Comments: 8
Kudos: 180





	These Vows

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt has been playing on my head for weeks, so here goes nothing :P

Thomas Gaunt-Slytherin had enough.

He walked the remaining steps that led to where Heir Harry Potter was lounging about under the shade of a Yew tree. It was a Saturday afternoon, the opportune time for students to wander along the Hogwarts grounds and carry out anything they wish to. Tom couldn’t care less about such trivial things.

But watching Harry Potter being harassed by some deluded idiot wasn’t one of them. 

“How many times do I have to make myself clear?”

Tom came to a standstill at Harry’s enraged voice. He was close enough to hear snippets of the conversation without having to strain his ears, but still far enough that Harry couldn’t immediately sense Tom’s presence from behind him. A short distance from Harry that irked Ton terribly was Zacharias Smith, who seemed unaware of the new intruder—he was too busy leering down on Harry. “Don’t be like that, Harry.”

He saw the way Harry’s body shuddered in what Tom hoped was disgust. “I _said_ , remove your hand from my person at once!”

For a moment, Tom could only stare blankly as his mind registered the hand gripping Harry’s shoulder tightly, even _familiarly_. Those were words that should have never left Harry’s lips. Tom might not have declared his Intentions yet, but that didn’t mean anyone else had the right to touch what was _his._ He watched as Harry disentangled himself from Smith’s hold and retreated a few steps back, almost bumping against Tom. 

He saw the exact moment Zacharias recognized him. But he didn’t call Tom out. Instead he had the sheer audacity of shooting Tom a satisfied smirk, knowing all too well that Tom _couldn’t_ interfere, even though every bone in his body screamed to claim his future Intended. The Laws wouldn’t allow him. “I promise to be nice, as long as you do what I say.”

From the rigid set of his shoulders, Harry must already be aware of someone else standing behind him. “Tom Gaunt-Slytherin, to what do I owe you this pleasure?” His tone was acrid as he hissed out Tom’s full name, even though he hadn’t turned around to look who was behind him. It simultaneously surprised _and_ pleased Tom immensely. “As you can see, I’m quite busy here, so I’ll be glad if you move away this instant.” 

Zacharias visibly preened at Harry’s words. “You hear him, _Riddle_? Go and do your boring Prefect stuff someplace else.”

Tom barely managed to stop himself from hurling out an Unforgivable curse against the despicable Hufflepuff. He didn’t know how Zacharias Smith managed to trick the Sorting Hat—he was a loathsome, vile creature that resembled nothing of Helga Hufflepuff’s virtues. No one, in Tom’s five years in Hogwarts, had dared to brashly call him _that_. He was about to open his mouth when Harry beat him to it.

“I would not let you _desecrate_ his family name like that.” Harry’s voice lacked the furious note it had just awhile ago. It now sounded like an ice thawing, freezing everything in its wake. “If Tom doesn’t want to be addressed as such, then you should respect his wishes.”

Tom was too shocked at Harry’s words to notice Zacharias’ consequent actions—he raised his wand in a flash, pointed it at Harry, and murmured an incantation so quick that when Tom cast a wordless, wandless spell at him (even though Tom _shouldn’t_ have, the Laws distinctly stated that—), he was already done. Tom heard Harry’s choked sob as his hands flew to his neck. “What have you _done_?”

With a speed Tom wasn’t aware he possessed, he whirled Harry around with both hands on his shoulders, eyes roaming down to the other boy’s neck. He felt sick at the sight that greeted him—there, on Harry’s neck, lay a hideous thick band of collar, its color so black that light couldn’t even reflect on its surface, the Smith family crest standing proudly at the middle. When Tom glanced up, he saw Harry’s face plastered with pure horror. “Zacharias bonded me to him without my consent.”

At the sound of his name, Zacharias let out a merry laugh. “Oh dear, if only you could see yourselves right now.” He twirled his wand with practiced ease before stowing it away. “Now, now _Harry_. You know that you shouldn’t be so _close_ with another man who isn’t bonded to you.”

Tom’s hold began to loosen on Harry’s shoulders. The Laws were absolute but never said anything about bonding someone to you against their will, and now that Harry’s bonded even the likes of Tom couldn’t defy it, not _yet—_

“Thomas Gaunt-Riddle. I implore your help.” 

And Tom could only gape at him as Harry reached for his wand and held it between them, handle first. Surely, Harry wasn’t suggesting what Tom’s thinking of, maybe Harry wasn’t conscious of the gravity of what he’s asking Tom to do—

But he does. Harry certainly _does,_ because he’s a Pureblood heir. For Tom to to brazenly step in and take matters in his own hands would mean belittling Harry and implying that he couldn’t defend himself. It would ruin Harry’s dignity and honour as a Pureblood and a part of the Sacred Twenty-Nine, one that would humiliate Harry enough for him to resent Tom for eternity. It was only one of the many Pureblood customs that Tom truly detested.

You could only offer help when the other party _explicitly_ asked for it. Which was what Harry was doing right now. For Harry to swallow his pride—

Tom reached forward and pulled Harry’s wand from his hold. He heard Zacharias shriek of outrage, but Tom ignored him. By taking away Harry’s means of defense, he was claiming Harry as being under his personal protection, and by extension under the protection of everyone with Gaunt or Slytherin blood in their veins. 

Tom searched for his own wand and offered it to Harry as well, handle first. That broke the heavy silence.

“You’re obviously out of your minds! Harry, you’re not powerful enough to break the bonding spell, and it might be detrimental to your health if you attempt to—“

It was Tom’s turn to laugh. He felt Harry’s magic flared around the both of them as Harry curled his fingers around Tom’s wand, his fingertips tracing the length of it. He glanced up at Tom from beneath his lashes. “Are you sure?”

It was a legitimate question. Was _Tom_ sure? Was he ready to pledge his magic, his wand—to him—Harry Potter? Was he ready for marriage? An Intended for his own that surpassed any _bonding_ ritual, for a collar was only the lowermost form of a bonding spell, a beginning of sorts for an upcoming Courting ritual, and it was far from _unbreakable._ By choosing to do this they were about to skip the tradition of a proper Courting ritual.

Tom only gave him a smile. 

Without wasting another second, Harry began uttering an incantation, his voice low and desultory. No, it wasn’t just an incantation like what Zacharias had murmured before— _this_ was a covenant. It took longer this time, since Harry was breaking off a bond and making a new one with Tom’s, and far more sacred because Harry was creating a higher one, a level only a step lower than an Unbreakable vow itself. Tom’s body thrummed at Harry’s rare show of power, his own magical core reacting at the feel of Harry’s magic all around him. He heard Zacharias shouting both expletives and curses at them, but a shield of pure gold had risen out of thin air and blocked off his futile attempts. 

It was all Harry’s magic, and Tom realized with a surge of possession that no one should have _this_ but him, and him _alone_.

And then Tom murmured the sacred oath along with Harry:

_Entreat me not to leave thee, Or return from following after thee—_

_For whither thou goest, I will go,_

_And where thou lodgest, I will lodge._

_Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried._

_The Angel do so to me, and more also,_

_If aught but death part thee and me._

The swirl of magic dissipated slowly, like a drizzle after a thunderstorm. The collar was no more to be found, and when Harry raised a hand to intertwine with Tom's, there was a gold band of ring on his finger that mirrored Tom's, and side by side they shone like a condensed form of sunlight. But Tom needed to hear it out loud. "Tell me he's not bonded to you anymore."

"He's not," Harry agreed. "I'm all yours." And then his jade eyes narrowed into slits before stepping forward and landing his hand on Tom's shoulder, the hand where his ring rested. "Erase his touch."

It was the sweetest and most agonizing command he had ever been given. _Do not lose control_ , Tom thought desperately. T _his was Harry's way of expressing his gratitude._ Oh-so-gently, and it amazed Tom because he never thought he was capable of such kindness, he kissed the back of Harry's hand on his shoulder, turned it around and placed another kiss on the palm of his hand, and traveled his lips down Harry's arm. Harry's school robes covered his skin, but it was still unbearably the most _intimate_ gesture Tom has ever done.

It was also improper, but Tom didn't care one whit. Harry had given him permission, and that was all Tom needed to assauge his sense of honor. 

"Why did you accept?" Harry asked, his plump lips caressing the question. "You could have refused me."

"Because you're mine," Tom simply stated. His fingertips trailed down Harry's slender fingers before releasing him entirely. Tom's magic spiraled forward and teased alongside Harry's, taunting it into tangling and twisting. "Can't you feel it?"

"Yes," Harry replied, cheeks heating as their magic masterfully mingled. 

It was Tom's turn to question him. "But I didn't think you were this serious."

Harry cleared his throat before speaking. "You were too caught up in your own world, Tom, wanting to dominate everything in your path. But I have admired you for a long time—your perseverance to prove yourself, your passion in the things you have interest in. I know how you would go to such lengths to reach your goals, and I want that kind of man to be by my side for as long as I want to. So yes, I have never been more serious in my life."

The oath that they chanted together, the bond that Harry had made for the both of them—that kind didn't need any mark or visible proof of claim, like a collar on one’s neck. Tom knew with absolute certainty that any other man who sought to touch Harry from now on without seeking for Tom’s approval would be severely injured by the power vested by their bond. Harry would belong to the House of Gaunt and Slytherin, and receive the ultimate protection it could offer him.

"Some would take this as an insult," Tom pressed on. "They would assume you're too weak to protect yourself, for one."

Harry smirked at that. It was such a good look on him that Tom wanted to take him in the open right then and there. "You know that's not true. You've seen it yourself."

Tom wanted nothing more than to bend down and devour Harry's lips, but now wasn't the time. This conversation was much too important for Tom to get distracted. "I have treasured you from afar," he confessed. "And I know we're still young, but you're the only one for me. Because no one else deserves you. Because I still want to peel Zachariahs's flesh from his bones for placing his hand so near something only I and our future children should ever touch." Harry arched his neck at his words, and Tom nuzzled it lightly. "Because I trust you. Because I'll never betray you. Because this way, nothing can ever separate us."

Tom's magic erupted like a volcano, shooting out to coat Harry's body from head to toe; Harry glittered like light refracting off broken crystal. Then Harry's magic flowed and solidified for a moment, and a gleaming aureate rope stretched from Harry's hand to Tom's own, binding Harry to him. Triumph pounded through Tom's veins, singing of celebration and primal victory. 

A loud ruckus disrupted their moment. "Harry Potter, you didn't!"

They turned around just in time to see Zacharias Smith's face red and fuming with rage. "You bastard, Harry was mine first—“

"Jealousy isn't a becoming trait, Smith." Then Tom hissed out a spell in Parseltongue, and a snake materialised and slithered in the grass near his feet from nowhere. Tom took a menacing step forward, the poisonous cobra following him. "Smith, if you don't remove yourself from the premises right now, I swear on Merlin that I'll order the cobra to remove your ability to continue your bloodline."

The blood drained from Zacharias's face at Tom’s threat before he hurriedly took off and out of their sight.

If Zacharias Smith had a redeeming quality, it would be his tattletale tongue. Tom relished in the fact that it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew the story of how he and Harry performed a Marriage bond on Hogwarts. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you like this one! I plan to add more in this type of AU, are you interested? I'm not sure if I should make it into a multi-chaptered fic or into a series of oneshots instead, what do you think? PLEASE write down your comments below! :D


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